Uncovering Humanity
by Forsaken Tenshi
Summary: -ONE-SHOT- [Sesshoumaru x Kagome] Kagome finds Sesshoumaru severely injured; with her help Sesshoumaru comes to terms with his hidden humanity.


Disclaimer: Sesshoumaru does not belong to me. *sniff*  
  
Author's Note: This, I think, is a pre-Rin AU story. . . he doesn't seem that friendly with people. . . Gomen, I know I am supposed to be working on Conflicting Desires, but I had to get this "little" bugger out of my system. ^_^ Xin Nian Kuai Le! (Happy Chinese New Year! - February 1, 2003)  
  
"___" = Dialogue  
  
'___' = Thoughts  
  
--___-- = Instinct  
  
~ # * # ~ = Passage of time  
  
Uncovering Humanity  
  
By Forsaken Tenshi  
  
Kagome plodded steadily along in the darkening forest, straining her eyes to find firewood. The little band consisting of Inuyasha, herself, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kirara had been following the trail of a Shikon shard. Inuyasha had been in a grouchy mood, making her own disposition sour. As night fell they had set up camp. She had left him, both to gather the needed wood and to cool her frazzled nerves. Her quiver and bow were slung diagonally across her chest, and she hummed quietly to herself as she strained her eyes to find the objects of her attention in the fading light.  
  
She suddenly noticed the stillness of the forest, the silence that permeated the air. She stopped humming, and warily glanced about. Contrary to Inuyasha's constant complaining about how witless she was, Kagome knew the signs of a dangerous situation when she saw one. . . or rather, was in one. No crickets chirped in the dimming forest; no cicadas buzzed as night blanketed the lands. The world was still, as if holding its breath; waiting, waiting for the predator to make its decisive, lethal move.  
  
Controlling her quickening breath, Kagome slowly slid the bow off her chest and notched an arrow, not tight enough to shoot, but easy to pull back and aim. With stealthy steps she continued her quest into the depths of the hushed woods, alert, ready.  
  
Sounds of labored breathing met her ears, and slowly, cautiously, she made her way towards the sounds. Her priestess senses were screaming in alarm, -- YOUKAI, YOUKAI.-- Yet she ignored them, shoved them down as she neared a small glade. If there was an injured creature, demon or not, her compassion led her to help them in any way possible.  
  
Soft, caring brown eyes met pained, brittle gold eyes, pale complexion, endless silver hair. The observer's eyes traveled downwards, sweeping over the bloodied white silk kimono, torn sash, slashed pants, dirtied tail. One thought registered in the girl's mind. 'Sesshoumaru. . .'  
  
The injured demon lord bared his fangs at the approaching stranger, running on the pure instinct of an injured animal. Kagome replaced her weapons on her back and rallied her courage to step towards him, despite his blatant warnings. As a placating gesture, the teen extended a palm out before her, slowly inching her way towards him.  
  
"Sesshoumaru. . . I won't hurt you. . . please, let me help you. . ." she whispered, licking her dry lips. She withdrew her hand just in time; he had swiped out with claws that would have undoubtedly taken her hand off. Her heart beat furiously, her rational mind was screaming, --GET AWAY FROM THE ENEMY.-- But how could she, with him in that condition? Besides, she happened to have antiseptic this time, for earlier in the day she had fallen and had scraped her knee. After that, Inuyasha had insisted on carrying her, even though he had continually grumbled about her being a handicap and a liability, in addition to the normal "Kikyou could do this. . . Kikyou could do that. . ." And it was this that had grated sorely on her nerves.  
  
She advanced slowly on him, ever careful of his hand. Her eyes never strayed from his. "Please. . ." she pleaded with the wounded demon, "I only want to help you. . ." Her voice quivered, as did her hand as she once again reached for the injured being before her.  
  
Sesshoumaru, from the depths of his pain, managed to override his instincts and grate out, "Why?"  
  
Kagome froze, indeed pondering his question and racking her brain for an acceptable answer. Finally she decided, "I cannot allow you to suffer like this. Even if you _are_ an enemy of mine, I do not have the heart to just leave you here. Not in your condition." She cautiously knelt beside him and helped him lay down flat on the ground. The kimono stuck to his damaged body, and Kagome had to gingerly peel off the slick material. Her eyes widened as she viewed the long laceration in his side.  
  
"What happened?" she asked quietly as she took off her red handkerchief and dabbled it in the antiseptic. Her eyes locked on his amber ones.  
  
"Youkai, many combined into one powerful youkai with a number of those damned Shikon shards," the demon lord growled as he closed his eyes and laid his head on the ground. Sesshoumaru absolutely _hated_ this show of weakness, but what could he do in his severely injured state? He had merely been patrolling his borders, when he sensed the demon and had demanded it to leave. When it did not he attacked it, and it in turn had defended and beaten him. Him! The powerful and feared Lord of the Western Lands!  
  
'What a shame,' Sesshoumaru thought bitterly as Kagome wiped his wounds, 'To have Inuyasha's wench see me in such a state. . .' He sighed as he opened his amber orbs to study the girl before him. She was using her necromancy to heal, not clean, his wounds. 'Most likely she will tell Inuyasha of my weakened state, and he in turn will attack me and finish me off. Such a blow to my honor. . . to be defeated by a stupid hanyou. . .'  
  
Yet he had the strangest feeling that this girl would not tell on him. As if. . . he could trust her. The girl was completely absorbed in the task of helping him. 'Why does she not care that I could still kill her even in this condition? Has she no respect, no fear for me?' he wondered.  
  
"Why do you not fear me, wench?" asked Sesshoumaru.  
  
Kagome started and stared at the demon while she fidgeted with her handkerchief. "Well. . . I. . . I just. . . can't stand seeing anything hurt. . ." she faltered after a moment's respite. "It pains me. . . to see something else suffering. . ." She trailed off, her head bowed so as to hide her face from the demon's eyes. Her fingers nimbly ripped off a portion of the sleeve of the demon's kimono.  
  
"Wench!" he spat, "What are you doing?"  
  
Kagome snapped her head up to his, an indignant fire burning in her eyes. "I'm only trying to help you here!" she snapped.  
  
"So? I heal quickly," the dog demon retorted.  
  
"Really? By the way your wound has coagulated, I would think that you've been like this for a few days! And _that_ is healing quickly? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd be dead by now!" was her rejoinder as she began wrapping up his wounds with shreds of his kimono.  
  
Sesshoumaru scoffed and closed his eyes. 'Damn, she's extremely observant.' He shivered at the intimate contact. "I don't need bandages, wench," he growled.  
  
"Even _if_ you claim you heal quickly, which I do not doubt, I still have to bandage it to make sure. Even after I heal it, I don't know if I healed all the way down to the bottom. You could still be internally bleeding for all I know!"  
  
Why didn't he kill her right now? Well, her touch was soothing, albeit awkward. It had been so long since anyone cared, cared enough for him, _about_ him. 'Perhaps,' he thought idly, 'Perhaps not all humans are _that_ bad. . . at least she doesn't smell half as bad as some of the others. . .'  
  
Under her comforting touch, Sesshoumaru drifted off into sleep.  
  
~ # * # ~  
  
Sesshoumaru woke up a little later, to find himself alone a different setting. He gingerly got up, mindful of his bandages, and observed his surroundings. A fire burned cheerfully, casting its light and warmth upon him like the sun. Otherwise it was late at night; a lake reflected the cool beams of the moon high up in the sky. A thin line of white sand lined the shores of the lake, which was quickly engulfed by the forest. A rocky ledge dumped water into the lake via a tall, graceful cascade. And near this waterfall, on the beach, was Kagome.  
  
She had her back facing him, washing something in the water. Sesshoumaru noted that she still wore her strange revealing outfit of green and white as she vigorously rubbed something in the water. With a start he realized that was his kimono. He briefly glanced downwards to confirm his theory. He was bare-chested, save the bandage wrappings. His pants were left; his sash and swords lay on the ground nearby. With a small grunt he pushed himself to his feet, seeing black spots here and there in the process.  
  
He strode towards her and watched silently as she rubbed the fabric together, letting the red stain wash out. She started, as she had sensed his proximity. She turned slowly, eyes roving upwards to catch his gaze.  
  
"I see you've woken up," she remarked. She half-smiled and resumed her washing.  
  
Sesshoumaru observed her for a moment longer. Then he broke the silence with, "Why did you do it?"  
  
Kagome sighed and let the clothing float in the water. Her shoulders sagged bit before she straightened up and replied, "I've told you already. You were hurt, and I cannot leave you like that."  
  
"Won't my hanyou bastard of a brother be looking for you?"  
  
"Yes, but I used a small amount of magic to conceal both my scent and yours. He cannot find us."  
  
"Where are we?"  
  
"We are somewhere north of Inuyasha's Forest. I'm quite familiar with this area. You should know; we are in your lands, are we not?"  
  
"We are."  
  
Silence reigned, save the steady droning of the cicadas and the chirping of the crickets. A wind blew softly and ruffled the fur on Sesshoumaru's tail. It played with his long silver strands as well as Kagome's jet-black mane. She finished cleaning his kimono and wrung it out. Then she hung it on a low tree branch to dry. She led him back to the comforting heat of the fire and had him lie down. Then she left with her bow and arrows.  
  
Minutes passed, and still no sign of the girl. Sesshoumaru began to worry about her. Although he kept telling himself she was just another worthless human, he was indeed anxious for her safety. He wanted her to be near, to know she was there, next to him. And that last thought disgusted him to no end.  
  
He needn't have worried. She returned with a rabbit. With an arrow she skillfully skinned, cleaned, and gutted it. Selecting a relatively straight branch, she stabbed it through and held it over the fire to roast. Sesshoumaru was silently impressed with her survival skills. Once the rabbit was fully cooked, she let it cool and chopped off a large portion- more than half- for the demon lord. He accepted it and ate slowly and thoughtfully, constantly analyzing the young woman before him.  
  
She ate the roasted meat daintily, carefully eating her way around the bones. When she was done, she threw the bones into the fire to keep scavengers from seeking out the leftovers, however bare they were. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow in response to her action. 'Smart girl. . . for a human. . .'  
  
After he had finished Kagome forced the demon lord to lie down while she redid his bandages. Her agile fingers constantly brushed his skin with feather light strokes, making him shiver. Kagome glanced at Sesshoumaru, who stared back at her.  
  
"Are you cold or something? You are shaking. . ." she stated.  
  
Sesshoumaru scowled. "I'm _fine_, wench," he snapped.  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder why I am doing this for you in the first place. For all I know you can kill me right now." She glanced back at him. "Why didn't you?"  
  
The demon pursed his lips together. That was the one question he simply could not answer. He had been thinking up a solution ever since he'd woken up. It irked him that he could find any _feasible_ answer. So he settled for a grunt and left Kagome wondering what he meant by, "Humph."  
  
With a small sigh Kagome settled on the forest's natural carpet and slowly but surely drifted into a sound sleep. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, was wide-awake, his mind turning over the evening's events. Her gentle, alluring scent and soft, even breath reached his nose and ears, calming him and making him feel at ease with the world. It had been so long ago since anyone had been within a hundred-foot radius while he slept besides, perhaps, Jaken. But even his ever-loyal retainer was careful to keep his distance from his lord as he slept.  
  
So it would be needless to say Sesshoumaru, although comforted by her presence, could not but help feeling slightly ill at ease with her proximity. The battle of emotions raged on within him, a delightful torture to him. Sleep claimed him in the end, embracing him in its reassuring blackness.  
  
~ # * # ~  
  
Light shone brightly in his eyes, and his one arm automatically raised itself to block out the blinding rays of the morning sun. The Lord of the Western Lands blinked the sleep out of his eyes and yawned, revealing his sharp canine fangs. He stretched himself out, groaning as he worked out kinks in his back. He glanced around, looking for the girl. She was nowhere in sight. Scenting the wind, he could tell she had left after redressing his wound. His kimono, he found, was mended with a strange sort of thread- it was coarse but extremely durable. His pants were also mended, as was his sash. With a start he realized his kimono was covering him; his pants and sash lay neatly folded on the ground next to him. His two swords lay on top of the folded fabrics.  
  
Pushing himself off the ground, he dressed quickly and efficiently, despite his missing an appendage. Just as he slid the sword sheaths into his sash did Kagome reappear, bow and arrows slung over her chest and arms carrying a few different types of vegetation. She greeted him kindly and settled down near the lake, washing the leaves and wiping them dry with her handkerchief. He approached her from behind.  
  
"What are you doing now, wench?" he asked as he idly combed through his hair with his hand.  
  
"These are for you," she replied, "If you ever get injured again, use these herbs to clean and heal yourself." She got up, turned around, and handed the herbs to him. "You are fine now; I cannot do anymore for you. I must return to Inuyasha to find the rest of the Shikon no Tama. Sayonara, Sesshoumaru," she said, bowing politely before beginning south.  
  
"Wait."  
  
Kagome stopped and inclined her head to let him know she was listening. "Hmm?"  
  
"You know there is no camaraderie between us? That the next time we meet, we are opponents?"  
  
"Yes, I know."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Farewell, Sesshoumaru." She turned to go.  
  
"No."  
  
"What?" Russet eyes lock on gold.  
  
"No. You will not return to my bastard hanyou of a brother."  
  
"Why?"  
  
'Why indeed? Because. . . you comfort me? You cared for me? Because. . . I want to be in your soothing presence?' "Because I say so."  
  
"That isn't a reason, Sesshoumaru."  
  
'I know that! But still. . .' "I am the Lord of the Western Lands. My wishes are laws. You will obey them."  
  
"But I still must complete my duty of reassembling the Shikon no Tama."  
  
"Forget about it."  
  
"What?!? How could I? I caused this whole mess, and I have to fix it!"  
  
"Leave it to the bastard hanyou to finish it."  
  
"I can't."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I cannot abandon my friends."  
  
'Such loyalty. . .' "You care for them?"  
  
"Of course! They are my family while I am here."  
  
"What do you mean? Explain."  
  
"I cannot."  
  
"And why can you not?"  
  
"You wouldn't believe me."  
  
"Try me."  
  
"I come from another world."  
  
An eyebrow raised up skeptically. "Tell me something I don't know."  
  
"Sesshoumaru! Is that all you ever do to those that help you?"  
  
"I never asked you to help me. You did it of your own volition."  
  
"But you could at least be grateful."  
  
"Grateful to whom? You? A mere human?"  
  
'Why that arrogant dog!' "You men are so unappreciative! You and your so- called 'bastard hanyou of a brother' Inuyasha!"  
  
A hand closed tightly around a thin, easily broken neck. "_Don't_ even compare me to that worthless mongrel!"  
  
"Go ahead. Inuyasha won't care anyways. He's still too caught up over Kikyou to care for me." 'Always the comparisons, the recollections. . .'  
  
"Really?"  
  
Sad doe brown eyes. "Yes." The hand loosened and dropped.  
  
"Is that why you did what you did?"  
  
"Partly."  
  
"What is the other reason?"  
  
"To hide."  
  
"From what?"  
  
"Him."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It hurts."  
  
"What hurts?"  
  
"My heart."  
  
"You thought. . . ?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I see."  
  
"You don't."  
  
"But I do."  
  
"You can't."  
  
"Want me to show you?"  
  
Lips locked on lips. Electrifying, sweet, perfect. Want, need, long. For her. Kagome. The totality of his long buried, long forgotten feelings.  
  
A sigh, a puzzled look. "Why. . . ?"  
  
"Because. . ." 'I feel complete with you here.'  
  
"Because?"  
  
"Because. . ." 'You solve my troubles. Yet you are an enigma to me.'  
  
A flash of white, and the demon was gone.  
  
Kagome looked around, sighed, and left.  
  
In the trees, a certain demon lord crouched, watching the teen make her exit. "Because you made me feel again."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
FT: Konnichiwa, minna-san! That was one weird story. And what a crappy ending at that! *scratches head perplexedly* Where the hell did that come from? *shrugs* Anyways, I wanted Kagome to be kind and compassionate, and for Sesshoumaru to be a lonely soul that needed to get in touch with his more humane side. There was really no plot to this; I made this up as I went, only knowing I wanted a Sesshoumaru x Kagome fic. In all honesty, I had no idea how this would turn out! -_-;;; If you were confused, I wanted Sesshou to start feeling something other than apathy and indifference, and Kagome was the catalyst. Gomen for confusion of any kind! And also, the dialogue, I have no idea why I made it like that. . .  
  
Sesshoumaru: *skeptically* That was. . . interesting.  
  
Kagome: Indeed.  
  
FT: *thud* Okay, I get your point already! Oh yeah, and Happy Chinese New Year to all of you! *runs off and hides*  
  
~*~*~*~ 


End file.
